Free Web NovelChapter 159: Chapter 159 Blood and Glass
Christina’s POV
It happened so fast.
Hands reached toward us from the mob.
Ysolde and I both reacted instantly, grabbing wrists before they could make contact. A phone went flying from someone’s grip, hitting the floor with a sharp crack.
Like dominoes falling, the first row of Zoe’s fans surged forward, causing those behind them to push harder.
It was as if someone had flipped a switch.
They shoved their way in, bodies pressed against each other in their desperation to get closer. Phones, elbows, purses—everything collided at once in a chaotic tangle.
Ysolde’s crew rushed in to break it up. A bunch of them locked arms and formed a line to keep everyone else away.
That only made things worse.
The fans pushed harder, screaming about being manhandled. They scratched and struggled against the barrier of employees.
A scream pierced the air.
Someone cursed loudly.
A girl lowered her shoulder and rammed it into a staff member’s chest like a football player making a tackle.
What had been a tense standoff erupted into total chaos.
There wasn’t even a semblance of order anymore. Limbs flailed wildly as people tripped over bags and folding chairs.
Ysolde and I found ourselves backed into a corner, but the crowd was so disorganized they couldn’t focus their attack.
Her employees took the brunt of it.
Most were recent graduates, slim, nervous, and completely outnumbered.
A girl barely five feet tall was pushed to the ground, landing flat on her back. She lay there stunned, unable to move.
Tables overturned.
Chairs splintered.
A ring light crashed to the floor, breaking in two.
One of the display stands collapsed like scaffolding in a storm.
The glass case beside the counter shattered after being slammed into.
Pastries, shards, frosting, and blood mingled on the floor.
Someone slipped.
Another person fell to all fours, screaming when they stood up with palms covered in blood.
"This is insane!" I shouted. "Someone’s going to get seriously hurt! Has anyone called the police?"
"We did! They’re on their way!" a staff member yelled back.
Ysolde and I dodged blows, half-crouched, trying to protect the employees still standing. I couldn’t unleash Akira on these humans, but I could at least shield others with my body.
My shin burned with pain where someone had kicked me.
Ysolde’s arm was bleeding.
A fan tried to kick me. I caught her ankle and pushed her back into the mayhem.
Then I heard it—a voice cutting through the chaos like a whipcrack.
"ENOUGH!"
Both Ysolde and I looked up.
Cassian Langford, Alpha of the Moonstone Pack, stormed in. His voice carried the unmistakable weight of an Alpha command, though he’d clearly moderated it in the presence of humans.
"Everyone STOP. NOW." The command rippled through the room.
Standing over six feet tall with broad shoulders, his pressed shirt now wrinkled from pushing through the crowd, he crossed the room in seconds.
He reached us, grabbed Ysolde’s wrist, and began pulling her back.
Ysolde yanked herself free. "What the hell are you doing here? Coming to help Zoe’s little minions beat me black and blue?"
"Can you not be so mean?" His voice trembled with irritation. "I’m trying to save you."
"Nobody asked you to be my white knight. Go waste your time somewhere else."
"You’re bleeding," he snapped, "and could you maybe not pick another fight for at least two minutes?" freewebnσvel.cѳm
Before she could fire back with something nastier, a girl to our left swung a chair at us.
Cassian spun around, shielding us as the chair connected with his back.
The chair splintered.
He didn’t fall, but his entire body jerked from the impact.
He sucked in a harsh breath through clenched teeth.
The blow knocked him forward into Ysolde, pinning her against the wall.
She immediately twisted away. "Don’t touch me. I didn’t ask for your help."
Cassian looked ready to strangle her. "You think I want to be here taking chairs with my spine? I was just passing by."
"Then keep walking."
"I believe the words you’re looking for are ’thank you." he muttered, still keeping one arm protectively in front of her.
The initial effect of his Alpha command was wearing off. The crowd, seeing someone had come to help us, surged forward again with renewed anger.
A girl lunged at us, swinging her fists.
Cassian blocked the blow with his shoulder, pushing Ysolde more firmly between himself and the wall.
She didn’t like it, rolling her eyes and shoving at his chest, but didn’t push him away.
I watched them while trying to stop a girl from using one of our mannequin arms as a weapon.
Ysolde reached out and pulled me behind her.
There we were, both pressed tightly against Cassian while more fans clawed at his back.
I heard him curse under his breath.
He had his arms braced on either side of us, wall at our backs, chaos at our front.
"Seriously?" Akira snarked inside me. "Mr. High-and-Mighty Alpha forgot to bring backup? This isn’t a pack fight where he can show off his solo heroics."
"I’m guessing tactical planning isn’t his strong suit," I thought back.
There wasn’t enough space to fight back properly.
He could barely move.
One of the girls drove her elbow hard into his ribs.
He clenched his jaw.
A moment later, he hunched forward slightly as if something inside had suddenly caved.
He didn’t collapse, but blood spattered on the floor next to my boot.
"Oh shit," I muttered.
The wail of police sirens cut through the noise.
A second later, officers surrounded the entrance.
The screaming stopped.
Most of the girls immediately backed away, phones still trembling in their hands, livestreams still running.
"Turn your phones OFF! NOW!" an officer barked. "Who started this?"
Ysolde broke free from Cassian’s protective stance and stepped forward. "They did!" she shouted, pointing at the group of girls. "They stormed in here and went crazy!"
The officers took statements quickly, reviewed the store’s security footage, and confirmed the fans had initiated the violence.
The troublemakers were taken away while we had time to deal with the aftermath before being asked to come to the station.
Ysolde went to check on her injured staff.
Two girls had serious injuries, so she immediately called an ambulance.
I could hear Cassian mumbling about his own injuries, but Ysolde ignored him.
"I just saved your life and not even a thank you?" he grumbled. "Stop cleaning up, it doesn’t matter now. You two should go to the hospital."
I shot him a withering glare. "Don’t act like some hero, Cassian. This is all your fault."
He frowned. "How could it possibly—"
"If you hadn’t let Zoe Foster run wild in the first place, none of this would have happened. You can’t even control your little plaything. Pathetic."
